I don't believe Bon Marche auto centers were ever all that common, but this old Goodyear out in the parking lot was once one of them --
here's a picture from the other side when it was still fairly new. It's interesting to see how empty the parking lot is in that picture, in the heyday of American malls -- clearly it wasn't taken at a busy time of year like this set was!
One of the more interesting malls I've been to is the Summit Mall in Akron, Ohio. As you know, Akron is the tire & rubber capital of the US. Thus, not surprisingly, they have tire store storefronts and garages right in the mall itself! At least they have a Goodyear corporate store. I thought they also had a Firestone store at the mall when I was there in 2011, but I don't see evidence of that now. Anyway, the Goodyear there is very nice and must be some kind of prototype store for their corporate tire shops. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/BWQGjjer7YzsCUhw5
ReplyDeleteHaving an auto repair shop at the mall makes a lot of sense. People can drop off their cars and spend the day at the mall while they wait for it instead of waiting in the waiting room or having someone else take them somewhere. It's also convenient for the people who work at or near the mall. It's too bad that aside from Firestones in old JCPenney Auto Centers, that is a bit rare now with Sears Auto Centers basically being done. Oh well, I guess people can still have auto work done at Walmart. I wonder if Fred Meyer ever had auto centers like Target once did!
Wow, that is an interesting mall!
DeleteYeah, it's weird how retail-connected auto centers seem to be a dying concept. Even Walmart doesn't seem all that interested anymore -- most of their new stores from the last 5-10 years don't seem to have them.
I'm not aware of Fred Meyer ever having auto centers, and a quick search doesn't bring up anything, but with all of the weird concepts they've tested out over the years, it's entirely possible!